DAILYUPDATES

The Kogi State House of Assembly has passed for second reading a bill seeking to provide free maternal and neonatal healthcare services for pregnant women and newborns in state-owned health facilities across the state. The Assembly also advanced a separate bill aimed at preventing public littering and the defacement of public and private properties, describing it as a crucial step toward improving environmental sanitation and public health. Both private member bills were sponsored by the member representing Omala State Constituency, Hon. Umar Yahaya, popularly known as "Connect." The maternal healthcare bill, titled “A Bill for a Law to Provide for Free Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare Services for Pregnant Women and Newborn Children in State-Owned Health Facilities in Kogi State and Other Matters Connected Therewith, 2025,”was first read on October 14, 2025. The proposed legislation comprises seven parts and 31 clauses. Leading the debate on the bill, Hon. Yahaya...

... Commends Onogie of Afemai for Exemplary Leadership The Maigari of Lokoja, HRH Alhaji Gambo Muhammad, has commended the leadership style of HRH Alhaji Zakari Ahmadu Dangana, the Onogie of Afemai people in Lokoja, describing it as charismatic and instrumental to the peaceful coexistence of Afemai residents in the city. The Maigari gave the commendation on Tuesday when he received a delegation of Afemai people living in Lokoja, led by the Onogie, who paid him an Eid-el-Kabir Sallah homage at his palace. He lauded the Afemai community for their immeasurable contributions to the socio-economic development of Lokoja from time immemorial. He noted that the historical relationship between the people of Lokoja and the Afemai has been mutually beneficial, stressing that Afemai indigenes have played vital roles as teachers, administrators, and missionaries in the growth of the city. The monarch also praised the new generation of Afemai people for sustaining that legacy of positive...

By Ambassador Tosin Michael Owonifari The recent kidnapping of students and teachers in Oyo State is another painful reminder that insecurity remains one of the greatest threats to Nigeria’s future. Unfortunately, the incident in Oyo is not an isolated case. Around the same period, reports emerged of attacks on schools and the abduction of children in Borno State, while kidnappings, attacks on travellers, assaults on communities, and other violent incidents continue to affect different parts of the country. In Ekiti State, growing concerns over kidnappings and attacks in several communities have also generated calls for stronger security intervention. From Oyo to Borno, from Ekiti to other affected parts of the country, the pattern is becoming disturbingly familiar. The locations may differ, but the underlying questions remain the same: why do these incidents continue to occur, and what structural reforms are required to reduce their frequency and impact? As a nation, we ha...